>> reporter: puerto rico, the land of palm trees, sandy beaches, and sudden dangerous wind shifts. >> this is the most beautiful place in the whole world to hear the most terrifying thing you've ever learned. >> reporter: she was a nurse, looking for a second chance at love. he was a surgeon, a onetime millionaire, mountain climber, and book writer of a thriller. and now she's about to be living one with him. she thought she hit the jackpot. >> this guy that she was in love with is now this totally different person. >> reporter: they're spending a romantic weekend getaway, taking in the sights and knocking back the drinks.

>> we're on the top floor of the hotel. you see all the white sofas and then you hear the water. and he starts talking about ana. >> reporter: ana. his ex-wife. it's a conversation his new girlfriend will never forget. >> i'd just walk over there open the door and just blast her. >> reporter: so chilling, she secretly takes out her cell phone, taps the red button, and starts recording every single word. >> you know what will be hard? it's not putting six bullets in there and spitting on her dead body. >> reporter: how quickly did you think he's not just blowing off steam here, he's serious? >> this is really serious. he talked about, you know, buying a gun and hiding it, where he was going to do it and how her body was going to fall. >> is she going to like slump down and die right there. that would be ideal, but maybe she'd writhe around and start making noise. >> reporter: tonight, all

23 minutes of menace laid out with surgical precision. >> hollow points bounce around your brain. >> i don't know how you can listen to that recording and not realize this guy intended to kill her. >> this case has a little bit of everything. there's an audio tape of what sounds like a plot, there's love, there's deception, there's guns and hidden bullets. >> reporter: there's also this. a "house call" with the doctor who's talking only to us. not from the operating room but from prison. how would you describe yourself when you drink? >> well, i don't talk about murder every time. >> reporter: but the biggest shock of all? the tape didn't put him there. so what did? >> it seems this is a guy who got away with a lot. maybe he thought he could get away with it again. >> how do you go to work every day and save lives and then at night plan to kill someone? >> watch what you say in front of your girlfriends.

>> reporter: what the doctor recordered. >> good evening. it's the question you will have after hearing the rest of that tape. what does the woman recording now do with it it's not the bedside manner you expect from your doctor, or the man you lived with for a year. >> and there's another big question. is that girlfriend in danger of becoming the next target? linzie janis has the story. reporter: welcome to peru, indiana. the proud 11,000 residents like to tell you about their agriculture, favorite son songwriter cole porter. and their curious claim of being the "circus capital of the world." >> oh, it's a lovely, small town filled with very friendly people. >> reporter: bruce embry moonlights as the ringmaster at peru's amateur circus.

but in his day job, he's a city lawyer. and about to be the prosecuting attorney in a big-top spectacle unlike anything this town has ever hosted. >> i've been in the criminal justice business 39 years. by far, the most fascinating case that i've seen. >> detectives found a gun, a bag of clothing and gloves. >> i thought i was reading a novel. i felt like this was a murder mystery. >> reporter: stranger than fiction is good business for this local reporter for "indianapolis monthly." at what point did you say, "oh, my gosh, this reads like a hollywood script?" >> the most interesting part is if he was going to murder his ex-wife, how he would do it in a strategic way, down to the detail. >> reporter: he is dr. gregory konrath. a prominent orthopedic surgeon earning as much as $1.7 million a year, specializing in sports medicine, broken bones, and severe trauma.

and he doesn't just treat the rich. these are images of dr. konrath donating his time and talent to the relief efforts in haiti. he was at the top of his game, owning as many as five homes. but he's gone through a messy divorce with the mother of his three children. and as dr. konrath approaches the big 5-0, he turns to the website ourtime.com for some age appropriate romance. >> he was looking for the same things, looking for a serious relationship. >> reporter: joannah is a nurse, mother and divorcee too. she was impressed with her knight in shining armor from the start. >> he's charming. very bold. large personality. >> reporter: a big spender? >> big spender, absolutely. >> reporter: and a big drinker. stephen foht owns peru's local watering hole, boondocks. where the "doctor's orders" usually called for a whole lot of vodka. >> he walked into our bar one

night and he ordered maybe 40 shots. this went on maybe five or six times. >> reporter: they weren't consuming all 40 shots, they were sharing it around the bar. >> no, it was, it was everybody. i believe he had probably spent about $3,000 in our restaurant bar that night. >> reporter: he has expensive hobbies too. an avid mountain climber, greg konrath is one of less than 300 people to have climbed to the highest point on all seven continents. >> when you climb a mountain, you're going to get views you would never get anywhere else. you can't drive to these kind of views. >> reporter: he even published a novel, "the children are finally safe," an international spy thriller. this all has joanna thinking she's hit the jackpot. >> and then christmas, he said i think it'd be fun living with you. >> reporter: after only four months of dating they are sharing everything. a house and a joint checking account. were you very much in love with him? >> i was. we looked at rings. we went to tiffany's when we went to chicago. >> reporter: she even had picked

out her wedding dress. did he like to spend money? did he spoil you? >> if he felt it was cool to buy an expensive purse than he would. >> reporter: so a pricey trip to puerto rico planned by the high flying physician 11 months into the relationship is just par for the course. >> it is so beautiful. the water is beautiful. the town is beautiful. everything is just so beautiful. >> reporter: a romantic getaway in paradise. but dr. konrath is about to shatter the relaxing tropical ambience with talk about a very twisted way he plans to sever ties with his ex-wife. >> this is the most beautiful place in the whole world to hear the most terrifying thing you've ever learned. he had had a few drinks. and we're on the top floor of the hotel. and he starts talking about ana. >> reporter: johanna knew his ex-wife ana and always thought they had an amicable relationship. but on this day, he's talking about killing her.

>> i've done a lot of research on that, that's why i switched my phone, by the way. i used it to research it and then, you know, nothing is traceable. nothing. >> reporter: joannah secretly reaches for her iphone, finds the voice memo app, and hits record. >> take an unmarked gun that has no prints. >> okay. >> with bullets already planted in her house, which they are. >> reporter: how quickly did you think, he's not just blowing off steam here, he's serious? >> wow, yeah, this is real. this is not the greg i know. >> reporter: sounding callous and cold-hearted, konrath lays out what sounds to joannah like a carefully conceived plan to sneak in to his ex-wife's house in the dead of night and shoot her. all while his children are asleep in their bedrooms. >> this is when the kids are in the house. one choice is to do it in the bedroom. if for some reason the kids woke up there's lots of ways to get out. >> reporter: and in a chilling, matter-of-fact manner, he even

talks about what will happen when the kids find mom dead. >> i get out of the house, i'm scott free. but they wake up and find mom. then who are they going to call? >> yeah? >> ambulance, police, dad. >> reporter: it's not something you hear every day. and "20/20" has exclusively obtained the 23-minute recording so detailed it could pass for an episode of "how to get away with murder." >> if i'm not on call i can't bring my cell phone, because that's traceable. suspicion would fall immediately on me, the ex-husband. >> reporter: but what in the world would make the cunning dr. konrath want to kill? could it be this? >> she has a million-dollar life insurance policy, i'm the beneficiary. >> reporter: the beneficiary, because his ex-wife still trusts him. he would be the one to look after the kids if anything happened to her. she doesn't know it, but something might. his strategy? he would make it look like suicide. >> because she shoots herself in the head. she kills herself.

>> so you have a gun that's not traceable? >> yes. it's in the garage. >> where's it going to go after? >> i mean, she shot herself so it stays with her. i've never touched it with my hands. >> okay. >> even when i took it to a shooting range i wore latex gloves. after i do that i put her prints on the bullets, close it, put her prints on the handle. >> reporter: he lays out his challenges. >> one thing i don't know is -- is she going to like slump down and die right there? that would be ideal, but maybe she'll writhe around and start making noise. >> reporter: and calculates his risks. >> i already drove over there twice with [ bleep ] ready to go. both times something happened. >> reporter: there's only one other voice heard on that recording. an unassuming bartender, unwittingly adding fuel to the fire. >> want one more? >> want one more, honey? i'll take one more.

oh, get her one more. i'll drink it if she doesn't. >> reporter: you know greg really well. you spent a year with him. do you really think he was going to kill his ex-wife? >> yes. no doubt in my mind. >> what do you think of it morally? >> i think it's justice. >> two wrongs don't make a right. >> well, is god going to strike her down? give her a disease and kill her? >> reporter: perhaps god is listening. at the end of the recording, church bells from nearby catholic church. the irony is not lost on joannah. >> what's with that bell? >> it's time for church, time for church. >> reporter: saved by the bell, literally. but what's joannah's next move? turn the doctor's violent rant in to the police? not so fast. >> i'm just saying you're going to have to help set everybody up okay. >> reporter: will she go along with the plan? or blow the whistle? while you're recording him, you're not trying to talk him out of it.

stay with us. your coverage, the more gaps you might find. like how you thought you were covered for all this... when you're really only covered for this. hot dog? or how you may think you're covered for this... but not for this... whoa! no, no, oh , oh! ...or this... ...or this. ...or that... talk to farmers and see what gaps could be hiding in your coverage. my heaven! ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum. bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ wireless world today could use a smile?ke the at cricket wireless, we think so. that's why, prices for plans are all in, taxes and fees included.

and we've got more 4g lte coverage nationwide than t-mobile or sprint. that's a whote lotta network for not a lot a dough. it's what makes cricket the happiest place in the whole wireless world. gives you nexium level protection for frequent heartburn all day and all night. try nexium 24hr, the #1 prescribed acid-blocking brand, and get all day, all night protection. nexium level protection.

"20/20" continues with what the doctor ordered. once again, linzie janis. >> reporter: 11 months into a whirlwind romance, joannah and her boyfriend, dr. greg konrath are on vacation in sunny puerto rico. but the trauma surgeon reveals he could be planning a traumatic event of his own. >> hollow points bounce around

in your brain. >> what? >> it's got to penetrate your skull but not go through the other side and mess it up. >> reporter: he's talking about his ex-wife. 23 minutes of gristly details. all captured on a dramatic recording. what was going through your mind when you decided to press that record button? >> i didn't want him to kill the mother of his children. >> reporter: did he act like he was confiding in you? >> he wanted to tell me because he wanted me to tell the police that he was home with me, so i would be his alibi. >> reporter: konrath is so cavalier, he's even prepared to get caught. >> if i get caught, i can do the time. i've lived a full life, i'm a tough guy. >> reporter: while you're recording him, you're not trying to talk him out of it. you're just, what, in shock? >> mm-hmm.

>> reporter: but when she finally snaps out of her shock, joannah doesn't sound so concerned for the mother of those kids. she sounds more concerned for herself. >> you're going to have to start thinking about money. >> why? >> you don't care about me? >> yes, honey. >> then why did you say why for? i'm just saying you're going to have to help set everybody up. >> i can't set you up. i wish i could set you up, okay? i can't do that. >> reporter: and then, a strange question that will even confuse konrath. >> can we get married before? >> are you crazy? why would you want to get married before that? that's all thinking of you. the whole comment is thinking of you. >> it will give you something to hang on to. >> reporter: when you said to him, "should we get married," what did you mean by that? >> i started asking questions because i needed to know whether it was real or not. >> reporter: you sounded very upset that he hasn't thought about you and how he was going to look after you financially. >> well, of course, because i thought we were in a relationship and then i come to find out that he's made a whole

plan of his life somewhere else. >> reporter: somewhere else with someone else. turns out, konrath is married. meet cynthia salazar, who lives outside cabo san lucas, mexico. she's the doctor's current wife. when did you find out about the wife in mexico? >> on the trip in puerto rico. they had been texting almost daily. >> reporter: dr. konrath is apparently full of surprises on this vacation. and joannah suspects after he's done the deed, he's moving on to the missus in mexico. so all this time you were dating him, almost a year, he had a wife? >> i figured that's where he would go after he killed ana. because he had been sending money to cynthia. >> reporter: talk about leading a double, make that triple life. still, joannah just wants to know where all this leaves her. >> so do you have a plan for me

and cynthia? >> cynthia's fine. >> okay, and -- >> i'm talking to you. nobody else knows this. nobody. >> i said do you have a plan for me and cynthia as well and you said that cynthia is fine. that means you must have a plan for me, too. >> are you kidding me? like that? >> cynthia's fine. she doesn't need anyone to take care of her. she got $140,000 of my money, a whole life and family and stuff like that. i can't do that for you right now. >> you want me to wait? >> i don't want you to do anything. i don't need your help. i planned this out as something i would do by myself. >> reporter: joannah's vacation is over. she tells konrath she is getting another room in the hotel, but she's secretly plotting her return to indiana. how long did it take you to get out of there? >> a day, and then i stayed at the airport, until that flight. >> reporter: but she does one more thing before she leaves.

she waits for konrath's paycheck to clear, and empties their joint checking account. you took some money out of the account. >> a joint account. >> reporter: why did you do that? >> it was our money together. i had to survive. >> reporter: a day later, joannah's back in indiana and she's not taking konrath's calls. so he calls law enforcement to check on her, telling them he fears she may be suicidal. so what did you think when that officer came to your door and said, greg wants us to check on you, he says you're suicidal? >> i just figured it was part of the plot. >> reporter: when she hears suicidal, joannah wonders if she's konrath's new target. so she tells the officer what's really going on. did you then share the recording with her? >> mm-hmm. i did. and then her partner came in and then they listened to it. >> reporter: detective sergeant mike rogers can't believe his ears.

couldn't this have just been a guy blowing off steam, talking about his ex-wife like a lot of guys do? >> that's always a possibility. but i thought we needed to go a little further with the investigation. and you told me that that recording was greg konrath's voice, is that correct? >> yes. >> reporter: whether out of conscience, revenge, or fear, konrath's confidant is now ready to spill the beans. when we return, the trauma surgeon is back from the beach. and about to go into the box with detective rogers. >> what's the red light for? >> it's recording. >> oh, okay. >> reporter: and has even more bombs to drop. >> i used a knife. i tried to stab myself and hit my heart. >> reporter: and later, dr. konrath on tape again. this time, ours. when "20/20" continues. >> you comfortable? >> yes. (queen's "you're my best friend" plays) ♪ ooh... you make me live, ♪ whatever this world...

at petsmart, we know that pet adoption changes lives. that's why petsmart charities helps save more than a thousand homeless pets every day! join us! no matter where you adopt, come to petsmart for a free adoption kit with over $400 in coupons. ♪ i really love you it's our gift to you for providing the greatest gift of all. ♪ you're my best friend! the human foot has always been good at... it's unleashing great power. the is performance line just got a power boost. introducing the lexus is 200 turbo and is 300 awd v6. the is line has never been... more powerful. once driven, there's no going back. if you struggle you're certainly not alone. fortunately, many have found a different

kind of medicine that lowers blood sugar. imagine what it would be like to love your numbers. discover once-daily invokana®. it's the #1 prescribed in the newest class of medicines that work with the kidneys to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections

urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name.

once again, linzie janis, as "20/20" continues. >> reporter: joannah's just turned in her boyfriend. 49-year-old greg konrath, doctor and divorcee, with that incriminating recording about how he would kill his ex-wife. police are concerned for joannah's safety. >> part of the information that he will have access to involves information that he's going to know came from you through just common sense and inference. >> reporter: so they arrange for her to live in a safehouse. and meanwhile, dr. konrath's come back to an empty house. detective mike rogers calls him in for questioning. >> i understand you want to cut to the chase and find out why i asked you to come here. >> reporter: and gets right to the point. >> we've uncovered some, some concerning conversations between you and joannah. about you wanting to kill ana. okay? i'm here to get your side of the story.

>> reporter: and konrath is happy to spin his own yarn. >> there's a difference between -- you know, ranting about my ex-wife or, you know, i'm sure she does the same thing about me to her friends. >> sure. >> if they're actually saying, yeah, i'm seriously, you know, thinking about somehow killing her, then yeah, that's obviously a different issue. >> those are the things that i want to get into. >> i mean, i think we can talk until we get to a point. if you want to keep talking and then we need to get an attorney then, yeah, we'd have to wait and get an attorney. >> i can't afford one. i have $60 to my name right now. >> okay. >> because joannah took all my money. >> reporter: and that's the first hint this successful indiana surgeon, who once was raking in $1.7 million a year, has hit the skids, personally and financially. >> i had some issues with my wife, ex-wife. she's going to move the kids to chicago. and they're unhappy about that.

and i had to put myself in a bad position financially. >> tell me the sources of your income if you don't mind. >> basically i make $575 a year. >> reporter: konrath tells rogers his ex-wife ana cleaned him out in their divorce. their five homes, retirement funds, stocks and bonds. she got them all. >> my attorneys were terrible. her attorneys were really good. and basically lost everything to her. >> reporter: couple that with a gambling problem. konrath makes a startling admission. he once tried to do himself in. >> any suicidal tendencies in your background for you? >> oh, yeah, i tried to kill myself once, when i was in mexico. >> reporter: mexico. where he says he moved after that bitter break-up. and where he met wife number two, cynthia salazar. but a new romance wasn't enough to cure what ails this dispirited doctor. >> i used a knife. i tried to stab myself and hit my heart. and then i tried to slit my

throat and missed my carotid, which i was trying to hit. i mean, pretty bad for a surgeon. >> reporter: were you becoming more convinced that this was a man planning to commit murder? >> more convinced he wouldn't talk about the gun at all. >> do you own any firearms? >> does that have to do with this, that threat thing? >> just a simple question. do you own any firearms? >> yeah. i want an attorney for that one. >> reporter: finally the ever-talkative dr. konrath realizes it's time to clam up. and as hours pass, the cops may have a motive, but still don't have a crime. >> well, at this point, you're free to go. >> reporter: detective rogers will search this humble rental home konrath and joannah were sharing. and in the garage, they hit pay dirt. >> this is a photograph of the garage. the gun was actually located in this bag. >> and we found everything he said he had laid out in that house. >> reporter: prosecutor bruce

embrey says the physical evidence is a turning point in the investigation. >> there was a set of scrubs and a set of sweats in the area, which is what he said he was going to wear. it all added up. >> reporter: and what was in his ex-wife ana's house? >> she found the bullets that he said he had planted in the house. >> reporter: how did ana react? >> when she listened to the recording, read the transcript and then discovered the bullets in her house, she was frightened. >> so in your opinion, he was absolutely planning to commit murder? >> i was convinced at that point and i still am that he intended to kill his ex-wife. so we charged him with attempted murder. >> reporter: konrath gets a lawyer. defense attorney eric huneryager. >> the actual tape was his own words. i thought there was a fairly good likelihood that the jury would convict him based on that. >> reporter: and to the prosecution the case looks open and shut. a motive, a weapon and the doctor's bone-chilling prognosis on that recording.

>> is she going to like slump down and die right there? that would be ideal. >> reporter: but in keeping with the spirit of this strange saga, konrath won't stand trial because he never actually acted on his words. you decided to drop those charges. >> ultimately, we had to. you had to be in the vicinity with the means to commit the murder. we couldn't get the case past the judge. >> there's no question that in certain other states he could have and would have been charged with attempted murder and very likely convicted. >> reporter: turns out, the law in indiana state, planning is not doing. >> under indiana law, that's still not enough because they didn't stop him at that point where he physically could have committed the crime. >> reporter: so it looks as if the would-be killer dr. konrath is going to get off scott-free. so why is he in jail? >> it seems this is a guy who got away with a lot.

maybe he thought he could get away with it again. >> reporter: you won't believe what the self-destructive doctor does next that lands him behind bars. >> he may have been a brilliant surgeon, but not a good criminal. >> reporter: and what is he ready to tell us? >> it seemed like it was a worthwhile try at the time. >> reporter: i find it so hard to believe that you actually thought that. stay with us. >> we have two questions. do you think he planned to kill his wife? >> and should he have gone to trial? use #abc2020. we'll be right back. made with whole grains and fiber to help a body thrive. ♪ folic acid and vitamin d... to make a body feel this good. start your day with 150 nourishing calories... in a bowl of special k. eat special, feel special.

special k red berries, now with more real strawberries. at kohl's friends and family sale. thursday through sunday get an extra 20% off. go to kohls.com to download your savings pass. plus, everyone gets $10 kohl's cash for every $50 spent. kohl's. engineering and coordination for pga tour professional rickie fowler to hit the perfect shot. at quicken loans, technology, engineering and coordination come together to deliver a customized mortgage experience. quicken loans: home buy. refi. power. official mortgage sponsor of the pga tour. ♪

flrelieve nasal congestion andly otc itchy, watery eyes.d to most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance, flonase controls six. see the world in a whole new light. flonase, this changes everything. thinking of new ways to make treat time fun. (vo) at the friskies playhouse, the cats and us are always busy. that's how we came up with new friskies pull 'n play. with tender string treats cats can eat. that part was their idea. lucy always thought strings should be edible. chloe thought the same. and charlie, well, he's up for anything as long it's fun. new friskies pull 'n play with tender strings. the whole new way to treat 'n play.

what the doctor ordered continues on "20/20." here again, linzie janis. >> reporter: miami county jail in peru, indiana. the doctor's new digs. this is him right when you arrested him the first time. >> yes. >> reporter: 11 months later, he looks haggard. looks like he didn't sleep in that entire 11 months. >> it's a different lifestyle. >> reporter: dr. greg konrath, renowned surgeon and wealthy mountain climber has gone from the peaks of all seven summits to rock bottom. cuffed and shackled, in an indiana county jail. and is ready to sit down face to face with "20/20." >> one second we're on this vacation in puerto rico talking about marriage and then suddenly

i'm arrested for attempted murder. >> reporter: but in a bizarre twist, it's not that infamous recording that's landed him here. he beat that rap. >> you have to show intent to do it, planning and preparation. that's the definition in indiana, at least. >> translator: case law in this state looks like your best friend. >> yeah. >> reporter: no, instead, the story of what ultimately took the doctor from green scrubs to red prison garb is a tale all its own. but to truly understand what landed him here you have to go back to the beginning. starting with that bitter divorce with his ex-wife, ana. she got everything. >> she got everything. >> reporter: did that make you angry? >> sure, it made me angry. yeah, i was very unhappy. >> reporter: and then we ask him to recall the vacation in the caribbean. the night he and his girlfriend joannah are tossing back lemon drops like lemonade. take me back to that night that joanna recorded you.

how are you feeling? >> we were right on the beach. it's vacation, so i was drinking a fair amount. then i just told her about this kind of dark fantasy that i had about killing ana. because the person doing it is me, there's no one else that would do it. >> reporter: how would you describe yourself when you drink? >> i don't talk about murder every time. i had talked to her about it before, when i was drinking and she seemed to, i don't know how you would say it, get off on it, a little bit, i guess you could say. >> reporter: listening to the recording, it doesn't sound like a fantasy, it sounds like a well thought through plot, and motive, to kill your ex-wife. >> it was a fantasy that i had. and it was a detailed fantasy, yes. >> reporter: do you know the difference between fantasy and reality? >> yes, of course. it's a lot of it's b.s., drunken b.s. >> reporter: but then we ask him about this part of the tape. the part when he admits he'd actually gone to his ex-wife's house but in the 11th hour, bailed. >> i already drove over there

twice with [ bleep ] ready to go. and both times something happened. i can smell it out. i mean, i know when things aren't going to go well. honestly, i know that part in the recording. i never put the gun in my car and drove over there to do it, never. no, no. >> reporter: why did you have that gun? >> well, i bought it for, to have a gun in indiana for home protection, just to have a gun. >> reporter: and where'd you get it? >> i bought in -- from some guy in a parking lot. >> reporter: it's not where most people buy their guns. >> i don't know where most people buy their guns. >> reporter: at the gun store? get a permit. >> okay. >> reporter: and what about those bullets? on the recording, he'd said he'd planted them in ana's house. did you plant bullets, hollow point bullets in the house? >> no, i had bullets from when i bought the gun in the house. and i didn't take them with me when i left the house years ago. >> reporter: and, he says, with ana having plans to move out of that house and take the kids to chicago, he insists his plan never even had a chance. >> they were no longer living in

that house, so -- and i couldn't -- i couldn't get in the house to do it, even if i wanted to, so -- >> reporter: but just because it wouldn't have worked, doesn't mean you weren't planning on doing it. >> well, like i said, it's a -- it was a dark fantasy to talk about. i don't know how else to say it, other than that. >> reporter: isn't it a terrible coincidence for you that parts of this fantasy were actually true? there was a gun. and some latex gloves? change of clothing, found at the house. hollow point bullets at hers. >> yeah, i agree. but also i'd like to say that that all that stuff is not against the law. >> reporter: but dr. konrath made no bones about the venom he felt towards ana. in this recording, you say that killing your ex-wife would be justice. >> you know, when i think about the divorce, i was really on my last legs. she really stuck it to me. she didn't have to take every single thing.

>> reporter: you hated her so much, you had a plan to kill her. >> the "plan," just to paraphrase, is basically for me to sneak in the house, with my kids there asleep and shoot her in the head and make it look like a suicide. this is when the kids are in the house. one loud thing, you know, might wake them up, but they don't know why they woke up or what's going on or anything. they go back to sleep. >> reporter: why while your kids were asleep in the house? >> well, the thought would be that, if i could get in and out, that would be pretty solid to, you know, proving that i wasn't there. it's an ugly recording. i am embarrassed that i did it. and i said those things, and it's terrible. >> reporter: and you regret it. >> well, yeah, of course i regret it. that's why i am here. >> reporter: well, that's not really why he's here. when the attempted murder charge was dropped, konrath was released from county jail as part of a plea deal. >> i thought it was reasonable at that point.

i thought it was a reasonable offer. >> reporter: but the offer came with one very clear condition. absolutely no contact with his ex-wife ana or his former girlfriend joannah. a rule konrath would violate even before his release. >> he did it from jail and he used his children to text and try to contact me. >> reporter: you thought that the man that you were madly in love with and had just gone on vacation with might want to kill you as well? >> if he would want to do that to someone that he was married to, had children with, what do you think he wants to do with me? >> reporter: once out of jail, konrath didn't stop. >> konrath tried to contact his ex-girlfriend three times after he bonded out of jail. >> reporter: he hired a private investigator. to look for joannah? >> he tried to. >> i received a phone call on a saturday morning. from a gentleman wanting to use my services to locate a former

girlfriend. >> reporter: dale seward is the private investigator konrath hired. >> he's got a piece of paper in there with her information. i'm thinking if you've got the contact phone number for this lady, why aren't you calling her? >> reporter: but it was yet another piece of paper, seward says, that really raised flags. >> he'd written me a $150 check and put it in the envelope, he's got on there konrath. and he's got a post-it note on it that says "please, don't cash till friday." >> reporter: you thought how come a doctor can't write a check for a hundred and fifty bucks? >> yeah. >> reporter: the private eye quickly figured out who konrath was and alerted the cops. >> i missed her. you know, i missed the relationship, i wanted to know what happened, i wanted to get some closure. >> reporter: but konrath wasn't done breaking the rules. with his passport confiscated he heads over to this local walgreens. >> then we had a call from a woman telling us that he had been in, getting passport pictures shot. >> he not only got passport pictures but he asked them for a ruler, got out his driver's

license and measured the size of the photograph for the driver's license. one might guess that he was going to try to find some id someplace. >> reporter: but before being apprehended on stalking charges, the crafty konrath has one last trick up his sleeve. the doctor is on his way for an unscheduled house call. when we return. why not just follow the rules of your probation? instead, you've got this lamebrain plan to escape? out ol after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to.

eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

layover. 24 hours. hello, reykjavik. oh, so that's how you spell it. what are you looking at? oh, cool. hungry. fish, anyone? hello, seventh waterfall of the day. hello, duck boat. hello, sheep? oh right! itchy icelandic sweaters and no foreign transaction fees. sweet. one last look. ahh. triple points. and we're off. what's next? wherever the journey takes you, carry american express gold. it's more than a card. it's the gear that gets it done.

introducing starbucks® small-batch cold brew coffee. in stores now.

once again on "20/20," linzie janis and what the doctor ordered. >> reporter: dr. greg konrath is a man on the run. after violating no-contact orders and purchasing photos for a passport he is not allowed to have, he's gone missing. >> my prediction was he would be in mexico within 30 days of being released. he surprised me. he tried it in 14 days. >> he had a wife in mexico and a substantial amount of money had been forwarded to her prior to his arrest. >> cynthia's fine. she doesn't need anyone to take care of her. she's got $140,000 of my money. >> reporter: the disgraced surgeon was supposed to be on home detention when he recklessly cuts off his ankle monitor and leaves it on the side of the road. >> a former lafayette surgeon on the run. >> reporter: konrath is traveling alone and for a man who says he likes to fantasize, he didn't conjure up a very good escape plan.

so he cuts his bracelet off there and when's the next point that you pick him up? >> i started getting information that he's over around western illinois, missouri, area. >> reporter: there's a wendy's. konrath's debit card pings at the fast food joint. surely he should have known that you can track him. >> yeah. you would think so. >> reporter: and he uses his cell phone, which leaves a digital footprint. >> we tracked him through kansas city area then continuing south and west along the i-40 through the new mexico/arizona border. >> he was arrested tonight just a mile outside of flagstaff. >> reporter: another what, half a day and he would have been in mexico. in his car, 40 pairs of shoes and just about everything he owns. and despite beating that attempted murder rap just weeks

ago he was sentenced to ten years in state prison. he could be out in six. >> getting a ten-year sentence for stalking, especially doing what i did, which is very benign is pretty extreme. that's extreme. >> reporter: sounds like you're feeling sorry for yourself. >> i think i was treated unfairly, yes. i think the judge and a lot of people did not forget about the attempted murder charge like you should, because it's dropped. i think that's colored the judge's determination of how much time i should have, as well as the prosecutor. if it was just a stalking charge, doing what i did, i mean, you know, most people would go on probation for a year. >> reporter: you might say he got off easy. remember his boasting on that recording? >> honestly i could suck up 30 years of jail time in indiana. i can do the time. >> reporter: still think you can do hard time? >> i'm actually looking forward to going to prison. it's a lot easier to do your time in prison than a county jail. there's a lot more to do.

>> reporter: you going to write another novel? >> i've thought about writing a sequel to the one i wrote already, or maybe something about my life, i don't know. >> reporter: a "new york times" best seller? more like a sad commentary. >> you know, my career as an orthopedic surgeon is ruined. never going to do that again. >> reporter: how do you reconcile that man doing charitable work in haiti, operating on victims there, and the man in jail right now? >> what i do is i'm a doctor, i take care of people. and if i said some stupid things then, i mean, i'm paying for it. >> reporter: the fallout from dr. konrath's misfortune leaves a trail of broken hearts. there's that other mrs. konrath in mexico. what was that all about? >> oh, well, i met a woman down there. we got married. >> reporter: fell and love and just got married? >> yeah, pretty much. >> reporter: you are still married? >> yes. officially, yes.

since this happened, it's been on hold. i don't know if she's going to wait for me for five or six years. >> reporter: and then there's joannah, who had wedding plans of her own. >> the dress, i returned it. which i now call the killer dress. >> reporter: what was joanna's motivation, do you think, in recording you? >> well, that's been a real stickler for me. that day, we were talking about marriage and then two days later, she is on a flight back with, you know, with this tape recording. i think she truly was thinking i was serious and truly thought she was doing the right thing. >> how do you go to work every day and save lives and work on patients and then at night, plan to kill someone. how do you do that? >> reporter: and that brings us to ana, the ex-wife and onetime target of his so-called fantasy murder plot.

she declined to talk to "20/20." but in perhaps the most unbelievable twist of all, dr. konrath confessed this. do you still have feelings for ana? >> yeah, i think i still love her. >> reporter: would you ever want to get back together with her? >> i think it'd be good for the kids. but that's never going to happen. she's let me talk to them, which is great. definitely keeps me going. >> reporter: sounds as if the women caught in konrath's tangled web will be entangled forever. do you have any message to send to anybody? >> just, you know, watch what you say in front of your girlfriends. i don't really h

the human foot has always been good at... it's unleashing great power. the is performance line just got a power boost. introducing the lexus is 200 turbo and is 300 awd v6. the is line has never been... more powerful. once driven, there's no going back. in study after study, advil is unsurpassed in pain relief. nothing is proven stronger on aches and pains than advil. not tylenol. not aleve. nothing. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil. wait, i can freeze my account. [touch tone] introducing freeze it, from discover. it allows you to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds if your card is misplaced. not here... ♪

and once you find your card, you can switch it right on again. hey...you're back! [touch tone] freeze it, only from discover. get it at discover.com. at kohl's friends and family sale. thursday through sunday get an extra 20% off. go to kohls.com to download your savings pass. plus, everyone gets $10 kohl's cash for every $50 spent. kohl's.

that's "20/20" for tonight. thanks for watching. i'm david muir. >> and i'm elizabeth vargas. from all of us at abc news and "20/20," have a good night.

the friday night lights stayed dark in the fire zone. >> why the season is not a complete